June 1939
The City Island Historical Society and Nautical Museum
190 Fordham Street, P.O. Box 82
City Island, NY 10464
718-885-0008
www.cityislandmuseum.org
Museum News
The Nautical Museum will be closed
for the winter months after December 18 until March 17, when we will resume our usual hours.
We will open by special appointment, however; please call 718-885-0507 for an appointment.
Support the
City Island
Historical Society
-------------------------
Shop at the
Museum's store,
where we are featuring a new line of
City Island related items, including
coasters, trivets
mugs, books, T-shirts and much more!
The City Island Historical Society is
deeply saddened to report that our
president, Captain Edward C. Sadler,
passed away on Saturday, November
12, 2011, at the age of 95.
Ed was integral to the operation of he
City Island Nautical Museum and
served as a docent for many years.
His 101 percent recall was one of City Island’'s great treasures, and he will be greatly missed.
City Island Timeline
History
City Island is a small community at the edge of New York City located just beyond Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx and surrounded by the waters of western Long Island Sound and Eastchester Bay. With Execution Light to the northeast and Stepping Stones Light- house to the south, City Island has a rich nautical history, much of it preserved by the Historical Society and Nautical Museum. Once called Magnets, or Great Minnefords, Island, City Island was part of the 9,000-acre tract that Thomas Pell (1613-1669) purchased from the Siwanoy Indians in 1654. Pell named his estate Pelham in honor of his tutor Pelham Burton. After Pell’s death, Pelham manor passed to his nephew Sir John Pell who was the first of the Pells to live on the estate.
In 1685, Sir John Pell sold City Island to John Smith of Brooklyn. From 1700 to 1761, the islandchanged hands several times. In 1761, Benjamin Palmer purchased the island for a syndicate whose intention was to transform it into a commercial center that would rival Manhattan. The island was renamed City Island in honor of this development project. The project was abandoned during the Revolutionary War when the British occupied the island. It was revived in the 1790s, but ultimately failed to materialize.
In 1807, most of the island came into the possession of Nicholas Haight, who, in 1818, sold 42acres at the island’s southernmost tip to George Horton. Horton, the Supervisor of Westchester County from the Town of Pelham, promoted the building of the five streets, including Pilot, Pell, and Schofield, and the public highway, Main Street (now City Island Avenue). In the first half of the nineteenth century “parts of the island changed hands many times as they were subdivided and sold.
”Initially, City Island was a farming community. The island’s first commercial enterprise, a solar salt works, which produced salt from evaporated seawater, was established by E.C. Cooper in the 1820s. Around 1830, Orrin Fordham, a shipbuilder from Connecticut, established an oyster planting business on the east side of City Island. “Although it was common knowledge that oyster larvae set on almost any clean underwater object, especially oyster shells, in summertime,” no one in the United States prior to Fordham had deliberately planted shells in order to cultivate oysters. His idea revolutionized the business. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, oysters became the “chief fishery product of the United States” as well as the “most extensively eaten of all shellfish.” Fulton Fish Market at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan became the primary clearinghouse for oysters grown not only in the local waters off City Island, Staten Island, Raritan Bay, etc., but for oysters from the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and New England, which were shipped from the market across the country and overseas.
NEXT
Information
The collections and library of the City Island Historical Society, a not-for-profit organization established in 1976, is housed in the City Island Nautical Museum, which is located in the old Public School 17 building at 190 Fordham Street on City Island in New York City.
The museum is open every Saturday and Sunday afternoon from 1 to 5 p.m. or by appointment. Call 718-885-0008 and leave a message if you wish to schedule a visit. There is no admission fee, but donations are gratefully accepted. All donations are tax-deductible. Checks made out to the City Island Historical Society may be sent to: P. O. Box 82, City Island, NY 10464.
The Historical Society is staffed entirely by volunteers, and the Museum is supported by donations and a membership program. Annual dues are $20 for individuals, $10 for seniors and students, and $25 for families. A seasonal newsletter is sent to all members.
By car:
Take the New England Thruway (I-95) or the Hutchinson River Parkway to the Orchard Beach/City Island exit. Follow signs to City Island through Pelham Bay Park and across the City Island Bridge. Continue on City Island Avenue to the third traffic signal (Fordham Street) and turn left. The museum is just past the top of the hill on the right.
Directions:
By subway or bus: Take the Lexington Avenue IRT no. 6 train to Pelham Bay Station. Take the City Island Bus no. 29 from Pelham Bay to City Island Avenue at Fordham Street. Walk left (east) on Fordham Street. The museum is just past the top of the hill on the right.
Public School 17 Graduation Photos 1901-1967
1931
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1929
Jan 1930
June 1930
1933
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June 1934
Jan 1935
June 1935
Jan 1936
June 1936
Jan 1937
Jan 1938
This page is under reconstruction.
Please check back soon!
Links
City Island Chamber of Commerce
City Island Power Squadron
UK Sailmakers
Maritime Industries Museum - Fort Schuyler Museum
Historic Pelham -
A website devoted to the history of Pelham, NY.
City Island Yacht Club
Morris Yacht and Beach Club Stuyvesant Yacht Club
The Harlem Yacht Club -
One of the original yacht clubs on
South Street Seaport
Americas Cup - A News Site Devoted
to the Americas Cup
The Museum Register - A register of museums
in the United States and across the globe.
Mystic Seaport
Mariner's Museum
WoodenBoat Publications
WoodenBoat
Please contact the museum via e-mail at CIHS_cityislandmuseum.org
or use contact information above.
History continued
Between 1847 and 1869, numerous settlers moved to City Island to take part in the oyster business, which became “the chief industry employing the bulk of the male population at City Island.” City Islanders also profited by servicing, supplying, and building ships, which supported the island’s economy throughout most of the twentieth century. There were many small yards serving the oyster boats throughout the nineteenth century but the first commercial shipyard, D. Carll Shipyard, was established in 1862.
After the Civil War, the Carll yard became known for the construction and rebuilding of large luxury yachts. Capitalizing on the Carll shipyard’s success, other commercial boatyards were soon established, resulting in the construction of numerous luxury and racing yachts including a number of America’s Cup winners. The federal government also commissioned vessels from the City Island boatyards during both world wars. After World War II, the leisure-boating industry rose to prominence.
For much of its history City Island was part of the Town of Pelham, Westchester County. It was linked to the mainland by a toll bridge in 1873, which became a free bridge when the eastern Bronx was annexed by New York City in 1895. Limited access to the island discouraged dense development, and as a result the island has retained its small-town atmosphere. Numerous yacht clubs, marinas, and popular seafood restaurants continue to play a role in the island’s economy
